“There was a building wall that collapsed at the construction site, and it collapsed onto the scaffolding when there were probably workers working on the scaffolding. The building wall collapsed on the scaffold, made that collapse, then we had a worker trapped under the scaffolding,” said FDNY Chief Robert McBride.

The FDNY said the construction worker who died was 26 years old. The other three victims were in serious condition, suffering from trauma and fractures.

“Two were on the top portion of the wall and they were able to ride the wall down, which is quite possibly why they survived. The other two workers were on the interior side in a scaffold and they were caught in the collapse,” Corcoran said.

Witness Jim Demetrio, who works next door to the site, heard the commotion and saw how the accident unfolded.

“It was absolutely terrible. The workers were trapped and other workers were trying to get them out,” Demetrio said.

The building was a five-story building at the beginning stages of construction with commercial space on the ground floor and four floors of residential space above.

(TM and Copyright 2011 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2010 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)